Year 13 students, Jack Lopas and Angus Foster were recently selected to compete at the National Club Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro, where they raced in the mens Under 19 double sculls.

With twenty-seven entries and four heats, only the first two from each heat were to qualify for the final meaning pressure was on to ensure we were not sitting on the bank for finals day. In tough head wind conditions Lopas and Foster obliterated their heat easily qualifying for a middle lane in the final. However, despite their impressive row, two other crews qualified with faster times meaning the finals was going to be much tougher in an outside lane. 

Finals day bought more favourable conditions with flat water. The pair got out to a composed start sitting towards the back of the field, however, by the 500m mark they had rowed past all their opposition and controlled their race from the front with dominance, easily defeating a hotly favoured Whakatane combination. In the end, the boys were crowned National Champions with a massive seven second lead over the field, showing real class and surely impressing the New Zealand selectors on the bank.

This was a great experience for the boys who also got the chance to watch some Olympic athletes battle it out against each other. Their performance should give the rest of the rowing crew great confidence heading into Maadi Cup in seven weeks time where they will be aiming to claim a New Zealand Secondary Schools title.

The trip was proudly sponsored by SOS Labour Ltd.